Finally made it to Sambuca, Thursday night and, wow. Impressed! Would've gave 5 stars if they just went with some rustic Italian bread and oil and herbs. Service was decent, Paul at the piano was amazing, and the beef braised raviolis are the best I've had. From the outside looked so small, but entering was so nice and quaint. read more

We were regulars at Sambucas as we live a block away. They have a new awfully mean and bigoted waitress there who chose to ignore us for a second time!!! Last time we had guests. She wouldn't look at us and 50 minutes later we told the hostess this was the second time with this viscous server and we had enough and walked out! They DO NOT VALUE THEIR REGULAR GUESTS!!!! read more

Last night we had the absolute joy of celebrating my mom's birthday at Sambuca, and from the moment we walked through the doors, the experience was nothing short of incredible. We were immediately greeted with warmth and genuine kindness that set the tone for the entire evening. The ambiance alone is stunning--inviting, lively, and full of energy. The staff was truly exceptional. Our waitress, Melissa, went above and beyond in every possible way. She was not only incredibly kind and attentive, but she made us feel completely comfortable and cared for all night long. On top of that, Michelle and Diaz were just as amazing--checking in on us before we even had a chance to ask for anything. The level of teamwork and attentiveness was outstanding. Despite the restaurant being packed, we never waited for a thing. We honestly felt like VIPs--like we were the only table in the room. That kind of service is rare and so appreciated. And the cherry on top? We had the best seat in the house, right next to the piano player, Paul--and wow, can that man play! He absolutely lit up the room, graciously took a request from my dad, and even played Happy Birthday for my mom. It was such a special, unforgettable moment. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to Sambuca, Melissa, Michelle, Diaz, and Paul for creating such a magical night. This was an experience we'll never forget, and we cannot wait to come back again! read more

Came here with my boyfriend for date night. The ambience, customer service and food were all 5 stars! We will be back to try their other stuff on the menu. read more

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Made a reservation and specifically asked to be seated in the back, AWAY from the piano player, NOPE, seated right next to him. Try to have any type of conversation with friends with a piano player right next to you. Service was spotty, waitress was awesome but they seemed to be short staffed. Bread was offered but it was store bought rolls and they were cold with no oil offered. Calamari was ordered as an appetizer and it was very good. I ordered the special, Grilled swordfish in a marinara sauce and it was disgusting!! The sauce was chef bourdi at best and the swordfish was "mushy" and lacked any flavor other than the canned sauce. We had to ask multiple times for drinks which, in all, ruined the experience. Sad, but Sambuca went downhill as far as we are concerned, we will not return. We expected an "above" average meal and sadly, were disappointed. read more

We visited this restaurant on a Tuesday night as quite a few places in downtown Scranton are closed that day. It was pretty busy and it looked as if a lot of locals were dining there. That is always a good sign. There was a generous list of house wines by the glass for $8.75 so I ordered a Sauvignon blanc and my husband ordered a Chianti. We also ordered a Caesar salad and sambuca salad along with entrees of penne soho and veal parm. A healthy serving of bread in a basket was also brought to our table. I would rate the service very good and the ambiance was cozy. The food was good and a nice sized portion but the bread was not warmed up and the penne soho had just 3 shrimp in the dish. There wasn't much flavor as well and I thought it could use some red pepper flakes or something to pep it up. I was glad that I took the server up on her offer of fresh Parmesan cheese. It could have even needed more than that. Overall we were happy with our dining experience and will come again. read more

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While I was in town for work I found this restaurant for dinner. When I arrived I parked on the street nearby. I walked in and was greeted. I decided to sit at the bar. Sara was my bartender and she was super nice. I started with the pinot nior and it wasn't bad. I also got the espresso martini and that was good. For my meal I decided to go with the shrimp marsala and substituted the vegetables with pasta and it was was soo good. The flavors were great. The bill wasn't bad at all. All in all I had a good experience. read more

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Fantastic food, lovely live piano music and nice atmosphere. Service attentive but not overbearing.

Same ownership as Catch 21. Nice 8 seat (?) bar with an upscale regular crowd. It's a bit dark. The meat is high quality and well cooked, with the filet being a winner. The gravy is a bit sweet. The house wines are a good value. It's open on Monday and Tuesday, which makes it an obligatory regular stop for me with few alternatives in downtown Scranton. read more

Do not give 5 stars until now Firstly just going out after Covid and I saw no reviews of this place for 9 months on Yelp Service overly enthusiastic and welcoming after cabin fever. Drinks good and the food we chose tasty and good value. Parked right outside after 5 free of meters in best block of Scranton Small but well stocked bar. I guess you could just come in for cocktail but closed sign by 9 pm means get in early even on Friday. Ordered Gorgonzola salad good with nuts I had portabelo mushroom salad. Tasty but small but great as appetizer then we both had pollo variants. My mandala tasted great with flattened chicken and small baked potato. Really good and just about too much. Walked in so sat on high tops near bar. Just fine Looks like many people go here regularly which tells you a lot. Recommended even if this was post Covid. read more

Sambucca Grill never fails to delight my dining companions and me. It's my go-to place whenever I'm in Scranton and want an elegant yet relaxed old-school-Italian dining experience. Every item on the menu is cooked to perfection just like my Italian grandmother used to make. The quality of the food is excellent. The recipes are creative. And best of all is the cocktail menu. I have visited Sambucca Grill several times already in the past and I can't wait for the next opportunity to dine there. read more

Solid food and good service. Try the specials, they are worth it. Often gets busy early in the evening

Most of the owners family enjoy working here as they have done for sometime, so I am told. Dinner in this Italian eatery is a very pleasant experience. The ambience is subdued. The piano player is sub-visible in the background. Decor is scenic pictures of Italy, and they are ubiquitously placed on all the walls. The cocktails are fantastic here. I tried a raspberry vodka mixed with lime juice. For $8 I thought that was a very decent price. Since this is a family project, they all pitched in as servers for the table. I ordered The Shrimp Bella Donna @ $24.95. It was excellent with a light sauce and sun-dried tomatoes. The noise level though was kind of high. The place was pretty well crowded. I am not aware if they have happy hour at this establishment. Call and ask. The restrooms were spotless. Depending on the day of the week, parking can be difficult. read more

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A small Italian restaurant that leaves a big impression. The setting definitely leans on the intimate and romantic side. Soft music and low light really set a tone. The service is impeccable and they have a small bar to get started while you wait for your table. Definitely get one of their chocolate martinis or house specialty drinks. This place and the staff are very well known to the locals as you'll notice everyone is on a first name basis. They really make you feel at home and welcomed. The food is traditional Italian and you can see they take the utmost care in their preparation and plating of the dishes. Make a reservation, this place fills up quickly. read more

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The food was superb - delicious and unique Caesar Salad (got it with anchovies) was the best C.S. I've ever had. Had a special - penne with sausage, broccolli with ricotta - delicious! My waiter did not tell me about the (numerous) specials of the day, so I assumed there were none and placed my order off the menu. A few minutes later another waiter serving the table next to me rattled off the Specials of the day - the penne, sausge,broccolli sounded delicious - fortunately it was not too late to cancel my original order for the special. Water came without lemon, and the check came without a pen - small things that made the experience just a notch below perfect. read more

If I could I would give them six stars! The dining room is lovely as well as the bar/lounge area. The pianist plays and sings the best soothing tunes while you eat a delicious Italian dinner. He is wonderful!!! The bartenders and servers were top notch. You felt like part of their family. We will be back soon. Terri Kokinda Hachey read more

Absolutely one of the finest restaurants in NEPA! So relaxing and elegant inside. Live piano music was beautiful. The staff... Excellent super attentive! The food, 6 of us went n everyone ordered something different. We tried each other's dishes. Every dish was absolutely amazing. If I could bump it to 6 stars I would ! Highly recommended.... read more

Arrived at restaurant and was seated right away. The music was great, not too loud. The atmosphere was very nice The menu has a lot of great Italian dish's. All the food was great and filling. read more

The food here is amazing! Sara is an awesome bar tender very personable!!! I give this restaurant 5 the atomosphe is great , food amazing & awaome staff I'm here from Atlanta for work & I'll come here each time I'm here for work!! read more

Great chicken parm, calamari and espresso martini! Extensive menu with unique offerings.

This is our favorite sit-down restaurant in Scranton. Upscale, intimate ambiance. Every dish we have tried has been well put together and executed to a high standard. Their regular waitress is very friendly and knowledgeable of food and bar items. Favorites include the honey nut cheerio martini, fried burrata appetizer and filet mignon entree. read more

Things started off badly when the spectacled, grey haired, potbellied owner greeted us or more accurately processed us at the door with a condescending and rude manner. We were celebrating a birthday which ended up being memorable for the wrong reason. To add insult to injury the food was sub par. The ravioli sauce tasted like it was made from canned tomato soup and the Marsala dish was tasteless. Much better customer service and food can be had in nearby establishments. read more

We were in Scranton to visit and didn't want to wait until we got all the way back home to grab food because it would have been extremely late. We saw this place was close to the area that we were in and we had about 45 minutes before they closed. I walked in to grab a table and the place was a little more fancy than I expected. They had live music and linens on the table. They were able to sit us right down without any waiting. The staff brought us water and we waited a few minutes for our waiter to bring us the menu. My friend ordered and drink and once he put the drink order in he came back and went over all the specials of the night. We looked over the menu for a while and discussed options. I decided to go with the salad that they had on special (I do not remember the name of it ) and the scallop and pesto risotto special. My friend got the linguine soho and the insalata Mista. As we waited for our food the server brought my friends drink. We then got the salad and bread shortly after. I was not a fan of the bread, it was cold and sort of hard but the whipped butter was everything!! I wish the bread didn't fall so short. The type of bread that it was, I felt as though it would have been way better served warm. My friend said that the salad selection they chose was good and had a nice dressing. My salad was great as well but it wasn't $9.00 great for a side salad. Once the food came out I wasn't exactly impressed with my entree. The scallops looked burnt and the risotto looked dry. Once tasting the scallops they didn't taste burnt and were buttery. The risotto was awful to me. It was dry tasting and the I had high hopes for the pesto taste but it was a miss for me. The sauce that came with it didn't compliment the dish at all. The special wasn't so special. Very disappointing. My friends entree on the other hand was more tasty than mine. The flavors came together and everything was cooked very well. I had food expectations for this place but for me it wasn't so great. Maybe I should have just stuck to the menu. I'm not sure but the service and atmosphere was nice. read more

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Took my mother for an early Mothers day celebration bc this restaurant gets such rave reviews. I almost don't have anything nice to say. After we got our initial drinks, it took them over an hour to take our dinner order. I'm ok with slow service post covid, so no big deal. We each ordered one of the specials. The shrimp was rubbery, the chicken tasted like cardboard, my mother ordered salmon but told me it the salmon didn't really taste like salmon and it was the world's tiniest piece to boot. They forgot my wine and finally brought bread when the meal showed up. The worst was that within hours of getting home, my mother was nauseated. correlation is not causation but sure feels connected. At least the martini was good. Will never go back. read more

Been to Sambuca twice and was not disappointed either time. Fresh ingredients. Friendly service. I had the cavitelli one night and the chicken parmigiana the second. Super good. read more

Great food. Both my husband and i were very satisfied with our orders and plan to return. Our waitress was nice and although she was new she seemed to know her stuff. The place is small and cozy and they had a piano player when we were there. read more

BEWARE: DO NOT TRUST YOUR SPECIAL OCCASION TO SAMBUCA GRILLE IN SCRANTON PA! Terrible experience due to unprofessionalism of this restaurant! So, what happened? On June 10, I used OpenTable to make a special reservation for my wife's birthday on Saturday July 10. I reserved a full month ahead as I wanted this to be special and to take no chances. I indicated it was a birthday and added comments that I wanted to make it extra special. On Friday, July 9, I received the usual computer generated email from OpenTable asking me to confirm that I was going to be there for my reservation the following day. I immediately confirmed through OpenTable. Also, that same day I called the restaurant and left a voicemail confirming personally and again indicating that this was a very special occasion. I did not want to leave anything to chance. My wife and I arrived at the restaurant 20 minutes ahead of the reservation time. To my total shock and embarrassment I was met with a closed restaurant and a sign on the door stating they are closed July 3 through July 10 and wishing everyone a nice vacation! So there we were abandoned by Sambuca Grille on my wife's birthday, a Saturday night, with no dinner reservation or place to go. The restaurant did not have the common decency to adjust its OpenTable settings to indicate they were closed, to reach out and inform me well in advance that they were closed, or to return its voicemails. This is the height of unprofessionalism and a lack of any concern whatsoever for their customers. To add insult to injury, OpenTable sent me my dining confirmation credits as if they were open and the reservation was honored! The restaurant is supposedly open as per its sign - and no one has called me to apologize or explain. I caution anyone who is reading this not to trust Sambuca Grille with your special occasion as they take reservations without honoring them. I have since discovered that there are much, much better restaurant options around the area - which will be the subject of a separate review. Sambuca Grille is dated, tired and worn out as obviously is it ownership and management. Avoid at all costs! I have looked at a lot of recent reviews of this restaurant in places like Open Table and it appears that they are screwing a lot of people when it comes to their reservations especially special occasions like Valentine's Day and birthdays. read more

Sambuca Italian Grille & Bar - Surprise! We are closed! - Italian Near Me - Scranton, Pennsylvania

Ok so I gave 5 star review last night. We were so impressed that we went back for Encore performance!! Sarah was Great as Waitress and bartender. Kool under pressure.. I had the filet mignon. If I ever had one any better I can't recall... Thanks again to entire staff, My wife Linda may want to go there every night!!! read more

This place is pretty nice for Scranton. It has a very nice romantic atmosphere and the live piano player was a nice addition. The food was pretty good. However, I would like to share my weird experience. First of all I agree with another reviewer saying that the staff is "creepy." The staff spoke Italian in front of the customers and it made me feel uncomfortable. In addition, when the host (and possible owner) was telling my friend and I the specials, he made a comment about us not being able to drink the wine, but we could have white wine sauce. I immediately knew that he thought we were under 21, but I will be 26 in March, so I was a bit frustrated. Later on when we asked for a wine menu, he became all flustered. He came with the wine menu and asked if we wanted bottles or glasses. We responded just a glass and he asked for our IDs. I don't think he believed that we were over 21 even after giving him our licenses. He then did not give us the wine menu, but went on to list the wines he had in glasses. He then opened the wine menu, closed it, and said, "These are the premium wines, they are too expensive" and walked away with the menu. If I'm going to pay the prices at this restaurant, I would like to be treated like an adult next time. Not some teenager that doesn't have money. read more

We were traveling back from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada to Jersey and had a craving for Italian food. I found this place based on Yelp reviews and figured we give it a shot! Boy am I happy we did! The vodka sauce was rich and creamy. The gorgonzola tortellini was amazing, if you like gorgonzola! ... definitely would be a journey to come back here, but its so good that it's worth considering! 2 thumbs up!!! read more

We went to Sambuca Friday night to celebrate our daughters graduation from Marywood. We live in NC and chose Sambuca based on yelp reviews--not to be disappointed! Flouta and Dodo made us feel like famiglia--so warm and welcoming to our group of 9. We were never rushed, and yet never ignored--service was efficient and attentive, along with soft live piano music in the background. Melzane appetizer was delicious and veal Sambuca and Pollo Dijon were so full of flavor, and the side of pasta, perfectly "al dente", what a delight. I'm sorry we live so far away or else we would surely become regulars at this quaint, intimate restaurant. read more

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Last night we enjoyed a delicious meal, tasty drinks and excellent service at Sambuca. I ordered Shrimp Marsala with a side of Penne Vodka. The entree didn't stand a chance.. The Marsala sauce had a great consistency and was perfectly seasoned. I liked it so much I ate all my veggies (cooked carrots and green beens) because I was smearing them in the sauce. The shrimp became a bit over cooked by the time I ate the last two because the sauce was hot. The Penne Vodka was served with peas and prosciutto. A very delightful mix if you like that type of stuff. Again, the sauce was excellent. For dessert the table ordered a berry tart and chocolate mouse pie. Both good. I drank Bombay and tonic. By the way, it was a good 25-35 age crowd last night.. That was something which I was pleasantly surprised with. However, the guy playing the piano brought the average age up a bit. Try it out... I'll return. read more

Second time back! Can't go wrong dining here. Just as good as my first visit. Everything was perfect. I had veal bosciaiola which was heavenly! The sauce was so so good. Service was great. Piano player made for a beautiful experience. Eat here, really! read more

Sambuca Italian Grille & Bar - Dessert - Italian Near Me - Scranton, Pennsylvania

I'd like to re-itterate what previous posters have stated. This place gives off a "Weird" vibe. Arrival / Drinks When we arrived, we were barely seated when the "Drink Server" was asking what we wanted to drink. Obviously we could have been more prepared for this question.... but a minute or 2 to settle in would have been nice. Also... without knowing exactly what we might be ordering for an entree, as no menus had been offered yet, wouldn't that have an effect on what we were drinking? And as previously stated by another reviewer, No drink menu was presented. So I simply stated "white wine". To which she offered a list of options, I selected Pinot Grigio. She left and returned with THE DRINK MENU!!! asking which vintage we wanted.. with prices, ($30 for a Cavet Pinot Grigio, Ouch!! 120% markup.) And a plethora of choices. So the menu does exist. Ordering / Appetizers A second server arrives with menus and fires off a long list of specials. Now don't get me wrong, I like specials, but the list should not be so long as to have you forget what he said before he get's to the end of the list. My wife orders the lobster tail, I order the steak, we order the lobster ravaioli as an appetizer and each a salad, which as an earlier poster stated, is not automatic with an entree. The appetizer was delicious. My wife said she should have ordered the lobster ravaioli instead of the lobster. It was excellent. Salads were also very good. Not slobbered in dressing as you can somtimes get and not so enormous that you'll be too full for your entree. Dinner My steak was overdone for a medium rare. No pink to be seen anywhere throughout, and even a bit dry on the perimeter. My wifes Lobster however... was nearly raw. ... (Sigh). After the first bite and a confirmation cut through the center. We split my steak and just tried to get through the rest of our evening. When bus-staff came to clear our table my wife let them know that the lobster was undercooked, then our waiter came back and was extremely appologetic, At no time from from our entrees being served to the bus staff asking if we were done / would we like things taken away did we get the customary and in my opinion "Normal" ... "How is everything?" question from our waiter. Wrap-up - They didn't charge us for the lobster tail, gave us a cappucino and an irish coffee for our troubles and the tab was still 108 bucks. Kinda pricey for Scranton considering 1 whole entree was deducted. The atmosphere was nice with the exception of the awkwardness you feel when interacting with waitstaff. As previously mentioned. If you go - Ask for a drink menu ( It does exist) prior to ordering, The prices might effect your decision. As for entree's keep it simple and try to order similar dishes. I'd guess my steak was over done because it wasn't frozen and my wife's lobster tail was and they were trying to serve them together. Conclusion I doubt we'll be returning. The ambiance doesn't justify the price and the things that they did get "Right" didn't quite offset the things they didn't. Try the Cork - Wilkes-Barre. Good stuff. read more

This place was amazing- made a special someone's 40th birthday one to remember. I reserved a table online and mentioned the birthday and that they loved ice cream- the whole restaurant stopped and sang happy birthday. The food was spot-on. read more

Ordered shrimp cocktail that contained three shrimp, were warm and smelled like a fish market. Bread served in a basket covered in a cloth napkin but when you open the napkin the bread was refrigerator cold with a 1/8 inch thick rubbery brown crust. Ordered medium NY strip that came out medium rare. Guess the cook doesn't use a thermometer. I also had an in depth discussion with the waiter that I wanted the steak pink. Was told it came with a baked potato but got a roasted red potato cut in half. Lastly Matradee had to fix our table from an extreme wobble. Beer was cold. read more

If you blink you may miss this place. But it is Scranton's little hidden gem. We are in town for a cheer competition and we're just looking for some good food. We found it! read more

With our sons visiting from 3 different states for the holidays, we had been looking forward to treating our family to what we thought would be a special dining experience. The atmosphere was fine, although there was a large party seated towards the back of the restaurant that were very loud. It took an hour for our meals to arrive. The appetizer was cold, but most of our entrees were above average in taste. The desserts were especially delicious. Unfortunately, what ruined the experience for us was the extremely rude service. Our server was initially pleasant while taking our orders, but after the food arrived and we asked if we could possibly have bread, she curtly replied, "We ran out." She never came back to the table after that to ask if we enjoyed our meals and whether we needed anything else. The bartender appeared to be working as the busboy, took our drink order, and brought our desserts , but was unpleasant throughout the evening. He was curt with his interactions and never smiled once, including when he eventually put on his jacket at the end of the night and stood behind our party, appearing to try to usher us out the door as we greeted people we knew at another table. To say the service was rude and a great disappointment would be an understatement. Will never return to this restaurant. There are too many great options in the Scranton area where the food is delicious and the staff are actually pleasant, helpful and welcoming. read more

Phenomenal date night place! The food is wonderful, the staff is super nice, decently paced & friendly. The one man memorizes the many specials in his mind. (About 20-super impressive) They usually have someone playing music on the piano which is really nice. They have a super cute bar for drinks as well. Prices are equivalent to Olive Garden, the food is much better! read more

Nothing but good things to say about this restaurant. From the wait staff, to the piano player, to the entrees we were served. We traveled to Scranton for a week and dined at Sambuca twice, although it should have been more. The atmosphere was that of a five star restaurant and the food we received was matching to that. I am not from the area but I wish I could pick this place up and take it home with me. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone I know traveling out this way. We will be back again solely to visit this great spot again. read more